Randomly speaking

Much Ado About Flowers

Can you believe this year is coming to a close...and 2010 is fast approaching. You know what that means. I am designing new classes for first quarter. As most of me reader know, paper flowers have a special place in my heart. AccuCut has been so gracious over the past 5 yrs in supporting my love of all things flowered...(they even made special dies for me so i could cut oodles of them at one time!) 

Last weekend Miss Maddy got hit by a pretty severe flu bug...which kept me home boud yet again. Poor girl was soo sick on Saturday night she was hallucinating...(something about me making her climb when her mouth was full.) My poor little girl wanted to "camp" in the living room by the christmas tree...Who am I to turn down a camping trip in the living room. While I was "camping" I started planing my new classes, my inspiration? A 1,000 page collection of Shakespeare's work, (a vintage version of course.)
so 500 plus flowers later (with AccuCuts help of course) this is what I came up with. The beauty of this class is, you will be able to customize the color with  my new Luminarte Radiant Rains...I am sure I will have your favorite color with me! and you will be able to customize your sentiment as well. Cool eh?

Class wreaths will be made from all kinds of vintage books, ranging from dictionaries,(french english and italian), poetry, greek mythology, shakespeare...and what ever else I can dig up.

  

For you local gals...this class will be offered at EverAfter in Vista on January 17th, Time to be announced.

Student Supply List--

please bring a box of pearl head pins (you will need 100 of them) you can find them at any fabric or craft store in the sewing section. 

I will supply everything else!

So Loving my new Twitter Backgrounds

SO once again....I am blessed to be working with a great group of talented people. The crew at "Tweety Got Back" are simply amazing. I love what they did with my artwork, creating wonderful backgrounds to personalize our twitter pages.

Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!

Thought I would share a few of my favs with you guys

Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!

I love that I can change my background to fit my daily personality if I wish to.

Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!

If you want to decorate your twitter...run don't walk to Tweety Got Back I am always up for background suggestions...and We will be launching new backgrounds with new art periodically.

His Dying Wish--The most inspirational love story I have ever heard.

I spent the day Saturday at Crazy Jacks Scrap Shack...Celebrating the store opening meeting up with some old friends, and making new ones. I taught 2 small mini classes...and I met a darling woman named Sherry Nygen.  She spent most of the opening day hanging out at the store and much of it at my class table making the projects and chatting a bit with her friends.  I noticed that people kept coming up to her and giving her hugs through out the day....but thought they were just old friends that hadn't seen each other in a while. Something about Sherry made me feel like she was a bit lost and perhaps fragile...then I got busy and those thoughts drifted out of my head. Several times during the day she'd say to me that "This was more therapeutic that I would ever know"

 After Class we got to talking and honestly I don"t know how we got to the following subject, I think she was telling me she had wanted to go some where but Ted was admitted to the hospital.

"Oh my gosh" I say...."I am very sorry...who is Ted"

Sherry Replies "My Husband"

"Is he okay?" I ask

Sherry replies "He  passed on this past Wed"

I am sure my face had a pained and shocked expression....this was certainly not what I had expected her to say. "What happened I asked"

With tears welling in her eyes Sherry went on to explain that her husband had kidney failure and that his transplant that he had recieved 5 years ago had failed. She told me she had time to prepare and knew it was for the better...

I remember telling her how incredibly sorry I was for her pain and loss...."How long were you married?" I asked

"Don't laugh at me" she said " we were married for one day"....again I am sure I had a very confused look on my face. 

"His dying wish was to be married" 

I realized at that moment I was  getting a first hand glimpse into a once in a lifetime story of true unconditional love....

Sherry explained to me they had been sweethearts for 35 years....they had spent a lifetime loving one another.

They were married November 17, and to the best of my memory Ted Meadows the love of her life lost his life the following day....and he left her with a commitment of eternal love and the promise that when they meet in heaven it will be as man and wife.

Sherry Meadows....will carry the gift of those last precious moments every time she writes her name.

one final thing...I asked Sherry how she and Ted met....She told me they met on a blind date.

I learned something from Sherry....about unconditional love, and when we live with open hearts and ears ready to listen we just might find ourselves in the midst of the most beautiful lovestory....NOT found in the movies but right before our eyes.

For more on the story....click here

Grand opening Celebration!

Yesterday we celebrated my birthday at the grand opening of Crazy Jacks Scrap Shack in Woodland Hills. What an absolutely fun and funny day. I did my best to take some photos but was spending so much of my time laughing I did not catch as much as I should have.

 

Crazy Jack just before the ribbon cutting.

Yes, my friends...that is my darling boyfriend as his alter ego "Crazy Jack" I must say I love that he isn't always so serious, and is really trying to combine work with some good ol' fashioned fun. 

This man has crazy eye for details...

needs to be kept under control at all times by his keepers.... (Creative Imaginations CFO Greg Karl and Tech Guru Matt Karl)

Crazy Jack gets a kick out of silly humor....

Crazy Jacks new home .....when they let him out of the Asylum.

One of Creative Imaginations paper printers "Johnny Mustache" venting a bit.

Of course I find Crazy Jack thoroughly irresistible...but much prefer the less crazy version.

Poor Miss Maddy----

She is sick again....ugg! I think it is Strep, but she has a few of the other dreaded symptoms so we are headed in to see her Dr....(Dr Krak is his name...19 years he has been our family Ped. ....and his name still cracks me up)

Heading to Woodland Hills this weekend

 

New Scrapbooking Store Opening!!!

Value Pricing in an Upscale Environment!

Crazy Jack’s Scrap Shack is not your average scrapbook store…

Looking for amazing deals on discontinued and overstocked items? This is it!

You won’t want to miss the insane deals on quality products in limited quantities

by:

Creative Imaginations · Bazzill · Pioneer · Hambly · My Minds Eye

Reminisce · Northridge Media · Cosmo Cricket · Fancy Pants and Petaloo at prices only a crazy person would offer and only a lunatic would miss out on!

Doors Open:

Thursday, November 12th @ 10:30am

GRAND OPENING:

Saturday, November 21st

WIN PRIZES EVERY HOUR

MEET THE REAL CRAZY JACK! at Noon

(Rumor has it he’ll be on furlough from the asylum!)

MAKE A MINI PROJECT OR TWO WITH MARAH JOHNSON 1-3pm

Locationed at Promenade in Woodland Hills
(Upstairs next to the theaters and food court)
6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd. · Woodland Hills, CA 91367
818-704-8855 · www.CrazyJacksScrapShack.com

Oh Scrap! Class Sneak peek

I still have a bit of work to do on my class sample for  "OH SCRAP!"...I am bringing them into the store on Friday Nov 20....but until then I am going to be a bit of a tease. 

Punk-a-liscious Purse and Mini Album----SOOOOOOO many techniques and textures in this class (make sure you leave your fresh mani's at home)

(if you are NOT feeling the skull we can replace it with a CROWN, FLYING HEART or  FLYING GUITAR) please make your request when signing up.

You will get your hands on

Glitter

Lace

Tulle

Flocked papers

Cardboard (big surprise)

Luminarte Paint

Distress Re-Inkers

Paint

Chipboard 

and I am quite sure I will add a whole lot more....

this would be a GREAT mother daughter class!

A quick post for your incurable sweet tooth.

I Discovered these delish little tidbits years ago in Dallas texas when I was at a GASC crop and starving...I was wandering around the crop talking to ladies and nibbling on their snacks. This was by far my snack of choice that night!

I have since searched the"net" to find the recipe and thought I should share since I will be making a hundred or so of these bad boys for the Crazy Jacks Scrap Shack grand opening this weekend.

Rolo Pretzel Turtles

Rolo chocolate candies
Mini pretzels
Nuts – toasted pecans/almonds/hazelnuts/walnuts

Preheat your oven to 350

1. Upwrap your Rolos. Place pretzels on baking sheet. Top with a Rolo.

2. Bake in oven for 3-5 minutes, until the chocolate just begins to melt. The Rolo should be soft but not completely melted.

3. Remove from oven, place on cooling rack and immediately squish the chocolate with a nut. Watch the caramel oooze out.

IMPORTANT:   Make extra so you can enjoy a bunch while they are still warm and gooey....you wont be able to stop at one!

for more delish recipes Check out the  "Steamy Kitchen Blog"

Now Is The Time! Art Journal Class sample

Join me while we create this Altered Chipboard binder at Everafter in Vista....perfect for your 2010 musings, art journaling, experiments in creativity. The binder is filled with 40 plus pages..(.journaling pages, chip board, cardboard, vintage book pages, envelopes, and so much more)

I chose some "Bambi"  pages, because it is one of my favorite childhood stories...I can still watch it over and over.

I chose butterflies for the spine, to signify my allowing myself freedom to explore my dreams, the freedom to embrace my fears and try to channel them into something good.

please bring any book pages YOU might want to include into your journal allong with any embellishments dear to your heart. I will provide a TON of imagery choices for your cover. A selection of paints and and of course lots of surprises!

tools you will need---

Brayer

your favorite acrylic paint colors (art journal have to have your personality not mine)

foam brushes-

Matte Gel Medium

Glossy Accents

Black Journaling Pen

favorite ink pads

Its good to know there is a Super Hero in the house!

Yesterday was Wacky Wednesday, and Miss Sophia is always up for a spirit day....She is 100% up for being silly, dressing up, playing the part...and making ya smile.

  She did a bit of editing in photo shop....(a girl after my own heart) and created this photo "Super Soph to the rescue" Certainly puts a smile on my face...and  i can rest so much easier knowing a true super hero lives in my house!